The School of Nursing offers students the opportunity to go abroad or to work closely with international students. Together with other members of the Student Board of the Florence Network, I would like to make these opportunities more visible!

Internationalisation
I have been involved in internationalisation from the beginning of my studies. In my first year I helped organise the Intensive Programme (IP). In my second year I did an internship at a hospital in Oldenburg, Germany. I must say it was a bit getting used to at the beginning seeing as the organisational culture is very much different than that of hospitals in the Netherlands. It is much more hierarchical and there is less attention for the emotional state of the patient. The contact with my German colleagues initially wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, but eventually the contact went well. I realised that throughout this period I learned a lot from my German colleagues and they learned a lot from me. 

Florence Network
As of the beginning of 2009, I am the president of the International Student Board of the Florence Network. The Florence Network encourages the exchange between students and teachers. In addition, it organises mutual projects such as the minors International Public Health and International Aid and Development. Students can come to us to request information regarding internships abroad. In addition, students can come into contact with one another via us in order to share their experiences with respect to going abroad.
Due to my position within the Florence Network I was able to visit many beautiful places within Europe. Thanks to the Florence Network I also have lots of international friends.

For more information go to:  www.florence-network.info